The present invention generally relates to bandwidth sharing.
More specifically, the present invention relates to preventing a plurality of users from collectively exceeding a common data-link device bandwidth use threshold.
Users of data-communications generally do not maintain a constant level of bandwidth traffic. More specifically, bandwidth use for most users is characterized by excessively sporadic or burst-like traffic. Since bandwidth is a valuable economic resource, any technology that increases bandwidth utilization without adversely effecting a quality of service (usually contracted for by the user with his service provider) delivers a worthwhile improvement.
Numerous systems have been developed for accomplishing improved bandwidth utilization. Many of these systems may be combined to provide further improvements. For example, time domain multiplexing and compression are mutually applicable in many data-communications modalities (e.g. telephone (POTS), directional and Omni-directional wireless transmission, Internet, etc.). Likewise, many systems have been developed to provide a common cooperative utilization of the scarce expensive bandwidth resource for a physical or circumstantial aggregation of users.
The following patents are thought to be useful for understanding the history of the art, the current state of the art, and the present needs and failings of the art. While it is presumed that the man of the art is already familiar with the substance conveyed by these items, others may find, in these items, concepts and descriptions that will advantageously supplement their appreciation of the present invention. Therefore, the citations given may be considered as uniquely disclosing salient aspects of the prior art.
It should be appreciated that the following patents collectively portray an outstanding need in the art, in that all of them rely on monitoring complex bandwidth metrics and on convoluting these metrics using some peculiar evaluation and decision function. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a method that accomplishes bandwidth sharing using simple metrics and using a straightforward evaluation and decision function.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,593 relates to Dynamic bandwidth estimation and adaptation for packet communications networksxe2x80x94Access control for a packet communications network includes a dynamic bandwidth updating mechanism that continuously monitors the mean bit rate of the signal source and the loss probability of the connection. These values are filtered to remove noise and then used to test whether the values fall within a pre-defined acceptable adaptation region in the mean bit rate, loss probability plane. Values falling outside of this region trigger bandwidth updating procedures which, in turn, result in acquiring a new connection bandwidth, and determining new filter parameters and new parameters for a leaky bucket access mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,625 relates to Traffic measurements in packet communications networksxe2x80x94A packet communications network relies on a few simple parameters to characterize the wide variety of traffic offered to that network, such as peak bit rate, mean bit rate and average packet burst length. A better representation of many types of traffic relies on an equivalent burst length, which produces the same loss probability distribution, but assumes that the distribution is un-correlated and exponential. Access control and bandwidth management based on such an equivalent burst length produces improved decisions due to the more accurate representation of the actual traffic distribution.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,458 relates to Traffic control systemxe2x80x94To suppress the amount of data frames passing through a public network and to provide advantages for both the telephone company and subscribers, a traffic control system is provided for controlling traffic in data frames transmitted between a public network and a subscriber through channels. Each data frame consists of a header and a payload. The header includes a predetermined bit indicating whether or not the payload includes traffic data. The system comprises, between the public network and the subscriber, a traffic control unit that includes channel filters each for receiving data frames from the subscriber through the corresponding channel, and for transmitting each data frame to the public network only when the predetermined bit in the header of the data frame indicates that the payload includes traffic data, and a channel reproducing unit for receiving data frames from the public network, and for reproducing an omitted data frame that has been discarded, to transmit the received data frames and the reproduced data frame to the subscriber.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,647 relates to Rate enforcement for frame relay networksxe2x80x94A Frame Relay network must implement a rate (bandwidth) enforcement function at the access in the network so that service subscription violation by some users will not cause performance or throughput degradation of other users"" service. A novel rate enforcement technique is disclosed. The new technique makes use of a xe2x80x9cleaky bucketxe2x80x9d algorithm in which a portion of one xe2x80x9cleaky bucketxe2x80x9d is set aside for high priority frames only.
The reader should appreciate that, on the one hand, it is appropriate to properly cite sufficient general and specific references to knowledge and appliance in the public domain. Therefore, care has heretofore been taken to present and document this knowledge in a through and comprehensive manner.
The reader should appreciate that, on the other hand, an invention, per se, generally represents a small but significant advance over appliance already known in the public domain. Therefore, unless otherwise specified in subsequent written correspondence with those authorities responsible for examining this document, the references heretofore presented and discussed constitute the inventors"" actual and honest view of the closest prior art to the present invention.
The reader should also appreciate that any existing commercial product, which circumstantially derives from granted or pending patents, should be considered as the present best enabling mode of the technology disclosed in those patents.
Furthermore, the present invention will forthwith be described with a certain degree of particularity, however those versed in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and alterations may be carried out without departing from either the spirit or scope, as hereinafter claimed.
The present invention relates to a bandwidth sharing method for use on respective interstitial connections between on one side a plurality of users and on the other side a common data-link having a shared packet switching device, the method including performing the steps of:
monitoring data-link directed bandwidth from each user;
maintaining a current sum of the monitored bandwidth; and
whenever the current sum exceeds a predetermined data-link bandwidth threshold, reducing current collective data-link directed bandwidth by
for substantially each user, comparing the respective user""s data-link directed bandwidth with a predetermined data-link bandwidth threshold for the respective user;
using an allocation function, selecting at least one user who is exceeding his predetermined data-link bandwidth threshold, and
for a predetermined time interval, cutting the connection between each selected at least one user and the shared switching device, so as to restore a current sum of the monitored bandwidth to be not greater than the predetermined data-link bandwidth threshold.
Accordingly, it should be appreciated that the present invention relates to a method that accomplishes bandwidth sharing using simple metrics and using a straightforward evaluation and decision function. More specifically, the simple metric is the actual current bandwidth in use by each user, the straightforward evaluation is adding up the metrics and comparing them to a maximum bandwidth value, and the straightforward decision function is IF to the total bandwidth use is greater than the maximum acceptable value THEN temporally cutting off at least one of the user""s bandwidth capable connections.
Ostensibly, especially in packet switching data-communications, the sender and the receiver maintain sufficient buffered message packets to recover from intermittent transitory data-communication service cuts. When these service cuts become more severe, according to any system including the present invention, it is time for the user to consider increasing his bandwidth infrastructure services capability or to consider switching to more expensive peak load on-demand bandwidth resources purchasing.